3 ms·

All the "Facebook" content screeners in Berlin, Germany, are actually employees of a contractor (Arvato-Bertelsmann) who is mostly hiring them through job agenc

All the "Facebook" content screeners in Berlin, Germany, are actually employees of a contractor (Arvato-Bertelsmann) who is mostly hiring them through job agencies. They're in charge of deciding what has to be banned according to Facebook Community Guidelines. They get to see gore, suicide videos, racial slurs etc. all the time, with no proper psychological training. They earn minimum wage (around 10$ per hour) and they're completely disposable. Nonetheless, when Facebook had to face a small content-related crisis in Germany in 2016, that didn't stop Zuckerberg from saying the the company hires teams of hundreds in Germany to stop the spreading of hate content. They don't. Source: Inside Facebook - Im Netz des Bösen, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 2016. (sorry, paywall). http://www.sueddeutsche.de/digital/inside-facebook-im-netz-des-boesen-1.3295206 http://www.sueddeutsche.de/digital/inside-facebook-im-netz-d...

dx034 9y ago
Thanks for the example. I'd be surprised if content screeners are employed with Facebook anywhere in the world. Most don't make that job for a long time and they probably want to avoid being sued for compensation, I could imagine viewing those videos/images without proper training will lead to long-term psychological issues for many. It's easy if FB can just hire a subcontractor that files for bankruptcy once claims come in.
kossae 9y ago
I’ve always been curious as to what “psychological training” would consist of to prepare for seeing such explicit content day in and day out. Perhaps something similar to military/war psychological practices?
- whb07 9y ago
  Even in the military there is no such thing as this type of training. source: was infantry.
- jaclaz 9y ago
  Not exactly what you asked for, but similar enough: https://www.forensicfocus.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=2329/ https://www.forensicfocus.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=2329/ More than "training" it is "assistance" and "psychological support".
fasj82 9y ago
Wow, racial slurs. I'm sure that can trigger some kind of trauma on them

dx034 9y ago

Thanks for the example. I'd be surprised if content screeners are employed with Facebook anywhere in the world. Most don't make that job for a long time and they probably want to avoid being sued for compensation, I could imagine viewing those videos/images without proper training will lead to long-term psychological issues for many. It's easy if FB can just hire a subcontractor that files for bankruptcy once claims come in.

kossae 9y ago

I’ve always been curious as to what “psychological training” would consist of to prepare for seeing such explicit content day in and day out. Perhaps something similar to military/war psychological practices?

whb07 9y ago
Even in the military there is no such thing as this type of training. source: was infantry.
jaclaz 9y ago
Not exactly what you asked for, but similar enough: https://www.forensicfocus.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=2329/ https://www.forensicfocus.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=2329/ More than "training" it is "assistance" and "psychological support".

fasj82 9y ago

Wow, racial slurs. I'm sure that can trigger some kind of trauma on them